The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-20
RAMBLEs IN JAPAN.
A MONASTERY POUNDED IN THE
EIGHTH CENTURY.


Services by Priest at His Own Home in the
City of Kioto-False Ideas About the Age
Of Buildings-A Ride TO Lake Biwa-A Bell
With History.
From letter from Kioto to The
Sacramento Record Untow the follow
ing statements are taken
The first evening in Kioto showed
me as pretty picture as l have yet
seen. 1t was dark, and had gone to
the house of Japanese whom knew,
but the kuruma man, installing the
number, took me to place near by. l
entered the vestibule, and the shoji
being pushed aside, / saw number of
Japanese men and women seated about
a huge fire-box box with books in their
hands. Sitting with them and reading
was a priest dressed in the simple black
robe always worn when not officiating
He came forward and spoke in French
to me, and then in English. He knew
my friend who had gone to Toxic; so l
talked little with him. Here is his
home, with no mark about it TO dis
tinguish it from the surrounding
houses, save his name on the gate, he
holds service, has his classes, and
works quietly and surely, living as the
people and among them, not holding
himself aloof, not condescending but
going with He does not complain of
disconforts, but makes his love for his
labor support him. This picture,
coming so soon after the European life
had seen in Kobe among his rival
workers in the same field taught me
q lesson which wish others could
profit by.
1t is fact that missionaries have
lived here in Japan for more than a
year without eating japanese meal,
without having slept but once under
the Japanese futons, and, living most
of that time in large school. had not
taken interest enough in the life about
them to know how the pupils bath was
heated. These are little things, but
they make a sum total of great deal.
When man says, as one did, that
none can be Christian so long as they
sit on the floor; when these supposed
followers of the Great Teacher go up
on their missions with servants and a
mountain of luggage, and then preach
the gospel of Him who had not where
to lay His head, when their own
creature comforts hold SO prominent a
place In all proceedings, what possible
chance is there for them to hold their
ground against the man who works in
the way Of this good father whom
met this EVENING" They tell me that
by living well and with all these home
luxuries they show the people what a
Christian home is like.
Kioto is city of palaces. and has a
quarter of million inhabitants, but it
is the past Of Kioto, which overlighting
the present, gives the traveller food for
wonder So wofully tired have be-
come of. these palaces and temples
that would willingly give up all the
splendor of this ancient capital for q
sight Of green fields, only | feel it TO be
a duty to visit them now that am so
near. My frs. wonder at the enormous
age of Japanese buildings is gradually
evaporating, and with good reason.
For instance am told that this royal
palace was built over thousand years
ago. and after have sufficiently mar
veled am informed that it was burned
to the ground few years after, but
even this date leaves it relic OF
antiquity, and l marvel again, only to
be told of another total destruction.
and so on through ten or more until
the actual date of the palace is brought
down to 1855. Perhaps you are shown
to weather-worn stone and told with
evident pride that it is over thousand
years old. OF course it is, and would
be even If it had been left where nature
placed II, and l wish it had been.
The enclosed grounds of the palace
contain twenty-six acres, nearly all
covered, by buildings full of the richest
and Oldest of art l was pointed to
cherry tree planted by Mimmio in $40,
but this thousand-year-old fruit tree.
il seems, has been renewed, and the
present tree planted by Nimmio'' was
put in the ground thirty-one years ago.